The Fort Brooke Record

March 2003
Volume 9, Issue 3

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FISH FRY & RAFFLE

Make plans to bring the family to the Camp's semi-annual Fish Fry!  Foothills Bluegrass is a crowd-pleaser and will be joining us again to make the evening special.

This will be your last opportunity to enter to win the LeMatt Revolver drawing (with the special feature - 9 rounds of a '44 and an 8 gauge shotgun as a special surprise to the enemy). 

Mike Herring will be there with Forrest Station for all your Dixie merchandise.

Please RSVP to Jim and Rosa to make sure they order enough chairs and tables.  Remember the cover pays for the main course, beverages, chair and table rental and the band.  So, please bring a side dish and dessert if you can.  Children get in free!  Bring your friends, family, neighbors for a super fun family evening.  See you there!

SERVICE WELL ATTENDED TO HONOUR
Black Confederate in Tarpon Springs

The Camp teamed up to support the Stonewall Jackson Camp SCV, and the Mary Custis Lee and Dixie Chapters of the UDC to honour Pvt.  J. Richard Quarles at a marker dedication at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tarpon Springs,  Florida on Saturday, February 22, 2003.

 About 230 guests came to honor this Confederate Veteran who was a black compatriot in gray.  Pvt. Quarel's grave had never been marked and sonar was used to find the grave which was finally marked after 78 years with a large stone and a Veterans Affairs headstone.

 The program opened with the presentation of Colours by our Colour Guard.  Our Commander and Division Chief of Staff, Marion Lambert filled in for Commander John Adams.  His presentation focused on the common bond between the Southerners….of all races...during the War.  

 The New Port Richey City Council Chairman was on hand to present a proclamation to the family.  Diana Byther, President of Mary Custis Lee read the moving poem, " A Jacket of Gray".  The Children of the Confederacy placed a wreath on the grave.  Robert E. Lee Camp SCV, the Judah B. Benjamin Chapter and Plant City Chapter UDC  were represented.

Dozens of descendants of  Private Quarels attended, including  great granddaughter (Mrs. Crockett) and a great great  grandson, Airman 1st Class Michael Brown, who  lifted the shroud from the  marker.  

Mr. Alfred Quaterman , chairman of the Rose Hill Cemetery Association, helped co-ordinated, and hosted a BBQ after the ceremony.  The wind did pick up later in the program, but our able men held down the canopies, so the program could go on. 

Quarels was born into slavery on Dec 12, 1833 at Edgefield Co., SC.   A few months after the War began, he enlisted with his master's son, H.M. Quarles, in Company K, 7th SC Infantry Regiment.   His unit was engaged in 33 battles and skirmishes, including Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga and Cold Harbor.  He was paroled near Richmond and received a Florida Confederate Pension.  He was wounded in the leg during the war.  In 1866, Quarels moved to Florida, finally settling in Tarpon Springs in 1910 with his second wife, Mary Cornelia Holland, and assumed the name Christopher Columbus, for fear his service in the army might not meet with his neighbor's approval.  However, he was accepted and was a leader in the community.  In fact he attended a United Confederate Veterans National Convention in Washington, DC with white members from the area.   He died March 21, 1925.  Mary continued to draw a widow's pension until 1951. 

Thanks to excellent local publicity, many students, historians, teachers, TV reporters, Print reporters, and friends of the family, including clergy, and spectators turned out. 
It was a grand experience, and a day that we won't forget!

CAMP BUSINESS

During the War, there was a tremendous amount of unanimity for the Cause that bonded the people into a nation.  True, there were Unionists within the borders of the Southern Confederacy, but they were not a problem to the consensus of purpose for Southerners.  Once the invasion of the Southern States was underway practically all dissent and debate as to the right or propriety of secession ended.

A man like Robert E. Lee, who had been a Unionist who loved the old flag became a fierce defender of the Cause of Virginia and of the South.  John B. Gordon of Georgia understood the nature of the contest between North and South and through his lot with his state and the South.  James Longstreet of South Carolina never hesitated and quickly resigned his commission in the federal service and offered his services to the young Confederacy.  Jubal E. Early voiced his opposition to secession but once his native Virginia voted to join her Southern sister states, he joined the Confederate army.

Four unique and separate men they were.  Lee, Gordon, Longstreet and Early.  Every man of them was Confederate to a T.  They were different in many ways before the War but their differences were blended into a common desire during the four years of struggle.  That desire was for independence for their homeland from political, economic and social dominance by strong "federal" government.  Once the War was on and Lincoln's forces showed their callousness and coldness toward things decent and proper, these four generals of the South never once wavered.  Until the bitter end they were bound by duty and principle to the Cause they (to a man) knew to be the Cause of the right.

If any one of us today can show linkage by the good grace of our birth to one of these generals, we would consider ourselves blessed.  And certainly such genealogical linkage would qualify for any man of us to be immediately accepted into the bounds of brotherhood of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  Just to be linked by blood to one of these noble men would be a marvelous blessing.

But hear this . . . These men, any one of which would qualify for membership into the SCV, were totally different after the War.  So different, that one must even wonder if they had experienced the same four years under the same flag.  But they had.

Lee went on to the presidency of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia.  He practically kept his words and pen silent concerning the “recent unpleasantness.”   He was a great conciliating influence between the Southern people and rest of the victorious north.

John B. Gordon was one of the most capable and dependable generals with the Army of Northern Virginia.  He never shirked from duty and he defended the Southland with his sword and pen throughout the conflict.  But after the War, he became a lover of the old flag and a reunited country.  In fact, he can be seen on the cover of the program for the first reunion of the United Confederate Veterans with a United States flag as a backdrop.

James Longstreet was a favourite of General Lee.  Longstreet  was a corp commander right up until the end at Appomattox.  In fact, it was Longstreet who advised against surrender and offered to lead an attack to break open the fateful stranglehold that General Grant had on Lee’s army in April 1865.  After the War, Longstreet took up with the Republican Party and became a federal office holder over the railroads in Louisiana.  In other words, he became a Southern “Quisling.”  In simpler terms, a turncoat.  He thought he was doing the best thing for the South, but other Southerners had a hard time swallowing it all.

Then there was “Old Jubal” A. Early.  Nobody can doubt the qualities of this man.  Cantankerous and crusty in many personal qualities he was the quintessential Confederate.  Although, as a lawyer prior to the War, he was against secession it did not take long for him to size up the real qualities of the Yankee in his style of making war upon the Southern population.  Early became a rabid fighter who knew the consequences of losing.  But the end came and “Old Jubal” took off and went to Mexico.  Never did he take the “Oath of Allegiance” to the old flag and was he never apologized and showed any remorse.  He detested the old flag.

Four different men, brave and true Confederates but different as they could be after the War.

This is to a great extent a reflection of the nature of our organization today.  As they were different so today, many different styles of beliefs make up the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  Some are of the camp and style of  Lee, conciliatory in a Christian way.  Some are of the style of Gordon, wrapped in the present day flag of patriotism and nationalism.  Some are like Longstreet, and in the party of the other side, totally misunderstood.  Then there is the style of Early, the unrepentant and unreconstructable Confederate.

            What ever the style of the present day Confederate, there is room in the SCV for that man.  You don’t have to be predictable.  To be in the SCV one simply has to be a Confederate, simple as that.  In linkage and philosophy..  We all share a common heritage, and that is what brings us together.

CELTIC FESTIVAL REPORT

By  Dean H. Leferink

Well, no one can say we haven’t had winter this year.  The day started out cool and breezy this Saturday morning, Feb. 8^th as we prepared for the Celtic Festival in Zephyrhills.  This was the second year of the event and although it was overcast most of the day it didn’t dampen our spirits as we were showing the flag.  Then again it helped to be wearing thick wool uniforms.  Thanks needs to given to all of those who participated and made this event a success.  First a hardy thanks needs to be given to Wayne Sweat.  He brought out the tent early in the morning.  Without him this event wouldn’t have been possible.  Mike Herring was also there selling his goods and doing well.  Many others also showed up.  James Hayward brought our new cannon along with which we had a booming good time.  Thanks need to be given to Dwight Tetrick and Mark Salter for also showing up.  I think Rob Gates and his diehard crew from the Fort Meyers camp deserve special accolades.  Whenever there is a need, they never fail to show.  God bless them.  And let us not forget Lunelle Siegel for showing up in period attire.  One of the highlights of the events was the dinner that was prepared for us by Wayne’s wife, Anne.  Wow, there was more food than we could eat.  And let us give thanks to Rev. Calvin Martin who helped out the whole day and blessed our food as well. 

All of us truly had a great time.  As we marched around the park behind the Scottish bagpipe band many people covered their hearts with their hands. Later in the afternoon there was a small skirmish that delighted the crowd thanks to Greg Chappell and others that showed up in their uniforms.  Well, they made a lot of noise anyhow and they were a crowd pleaser.  This is the first time I ever heard of the Yankees being outnumbered.  I think some of the most fun we had during the day was when Wayne broke out his banjo.  We all gathered around at that time to sing Dixie, the Bonnie Blue Flag and few other old favorites.  What a way to end the day. 

STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL PARADE

CAMP WISH LIST

The "On Fire" Lesley Camp is constantly striving to fulfill our Charge. The following items are on our 'wish list'. If you can help or know someone who can...please contact any of the officers.

• Site along Interstate in Hillsborough County for Flagpole with LARGE flag and monument
• 16' - 2 axle box trailer
• Camp Hall (permanent building for meetings, storage, events, etc.)
• GREAT pictures of camp activities

CHAPLAIN'S CORNER

Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, all have something in common. You students of history of course will know that these were known as border states during the War Between the States. This month is the month in which the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern or as the Yankees called it, the Battle of Pea Ridge, as they usually named battles after geographic sites, while the Confederates preferred man-made sites for their battle names. These states were divided with their allegiances, some siding with the North and the ones who had better sense siding with the Southern states.

In our study of scripture we find too where God's people, the ancient Israelites, at one time were a divided kingdom, Judah and Israel. Judah or also called Judea is the Southern Kingdom and it is where our Lord and Savior would be born, in Bethlehem of Judea. This is the kingdom that served God, they were not deceived by other false teachings like those in the Northern kingdom. Look at 1 Thessalonians 2:14 where the apostle Paul in his letter is heaping praise on the church in Thessalonica. " For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus"....

We here in the South have always been a God fearing people and most of us have not been swayed to a more humanistic teaching, like was taking place in the North. They tended to stray from the Godly teaching and went another way. That was just another thing that kept our country divided in that time just as it still does today. Look at modern day Vermont and New Hampshire, see how many evangelistic churches they have up there. I have a friend that has a son who is a Youth Minister in Vermont. He states that it is a very hard place to teach those Christian values that we here in the South have always just taken for granted, because we've been taught that way for decades.
So from what I've read for myself, and not what I was taught or not even taught, I've seen where the men who were true to their states and the families and their farms and way of life, were off fighting the Northern invaders, and notice I said INVADERS. While our forefathers were away fighting the Yankees, the Northern businessmen were coming into western Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri and started coercing the people there to follow the Lincoln government. I know for a fact that in my state ( W.Va. ) that while most of the hardy fighting men were off to war the ones remaining in the towns were stirring up discontent and encouraging that part of the state of Virginia to form their own state. Let me give you the facts as it happened. The common people had little to do with the whole proceedings. Most of the men folk were off fighting the war stirred up by the politicians, and the womenfolk were busy trying to keep from starving to death.

History tells us that the whole idea of a separate state started up in the Northern Panhandle of Virginia, around Wheeling and Clarksburg. A lot of influential gentlemen, who should have been over in eastern Virginia fighting instead of staying close home and talking, decided to meet in a convention at Wheeling and break away from Virginia. A great uproar was made. Men in broadcloth, plug hats and whiskers, ranted at slavery and the evil South, denounced Jeff Davis of the Confederacy and Gov. Letcher of the state who had been elected by the ballot.

Now notice where some of these people were from. Fifteen of the delegates were not native to the soil. Six were born in Pennsylvania; 3 in New York; 2 in Ohio; 2 in Massachusetts; 1 in Maryland; 1 in Ireland. Fourteen of the delegates were ordained ministers. The outstanding characteristic of the convention personnel was Christian piety; But no one would have believed it after hearing the rabid and bitter denunciations of the Virginia Rebels.

The most outspoken and savage of the anti-Virginians, was the Rev Gordon Battle of the M.E. Church of the Wheeling district. With bitter tongue he lambasted the aristocratic tidewater slave owners and hoped the Union soldiers would bring them to ruin and everlasting punishment, ( boy! where is the Christian love that says to love your enemies and to pray for them?!!  and this was coming from a minister, does it remind you of someone today?!! ). The recruiting offices were open at the time but the good preacher preferred talking to fighting. The poor wool-hat boys of the Confederacy and the new immigrants and native patriots were left to do the dirty work.

Van Winkle shouted he was "agin" any name with the hated Virginia in it.  So this went on back and forth among the delegates. When the vote was finally taken and the name West Virginia won with 30 votes.  Now listen to what this new state and government did. When the new state got down to business, it voted that everyone must take a test vote, swearing he had not opposed the Lincoln government. Tax collectors were allowed extra commission for collecting Rebel taxes. No Rebel could hold office. Charleston for many years, was full of lawyers who could not practice because of the State laws. Anyone who had given aid and comfort to a Confederate was barred from the polls. Judge Harrison, ex-Rebel, elected judge on the 9th Circuit Court, was not allowed in the Princeton Courthouse. All attempts to hold court in Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe, McDowell, were broken up by the State authorities. It is estimated that 20,000 voters were deprived of the ballot until around 1870.

But the rank and file, the men who had fought the battles over in Virginia, both Union and Confederate, came home without the bitterness shown by the Stay-AT-Homes. To them the names of Lee and Grant, Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Light Horse Harry Lee, Tyler, Madison, and Andrew Lews, all were names to venerate and name their children after. In the Kanawha region, where this writer is from, Southern sentiment prevailed. No wonder that for years there were boys named "Fitzhugh", Robert Lee, "Jeb" Stuart. And look at the High School names such as Stonewall Jackson H.S.. Jefferson, Washington, and then most of the street names in Charleston are to this day named after Confederates.

Well, there you have it. That's the story of the naming of W.Va. And I know for a fact that the Southerners in Kentucky and Missouri went through a lot of the same struggles. And I believe a lot of animosity still exists in the Northern parts and the Southern parts of these same states. But as it says in Matthew 5:44-45 " But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you; That you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven:.... ".

I know this has been lengthy but I hope it has helped you to see that with God on our side nothing can stand against us.

I am yours in the service of the Lord, Jesus Christ and the service of the
John T. Lesley Camp 1282 Sons of Confederate Veterans
Chaplain, Rev Calvin T. Martin

From the Adjutant’s Desk:

The John T. Lesley Camp 1282, Sons of Confederate Veterans Muster Roll for the month of March, 2003 registers 153 true Compatriots and 18 loyal Legionnaires.

All of the 2003 SCV Membership Cards have been mailed out.  The accompanying SCV Membership Application is an opportunity for you to do your part in the Camp “Membership Drive”. Remember sons, grandsons, fathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles and cousins all need to be signed-up. So please get these applications filled out and mailed back to me.

If you have any questions concerning camp business or to process membership paperwork, please do not hesitate in contacting me.  Do to special circumstances it is requested that all telephoning be conducted between the hours of 10 AM and 9 PM Monday through Saturday.

Col. Dwight Tetrick, Adjutant
John T. Lesley Camp 1282
19126 Amelia Circle
Lutz, FL 33558
phone (813) 949-4746

A prim and proper Southern lady (UDC, no doubt), was driving across the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina one day.  As she neared the top of the bridge, she noticed a young man standing near the edge of the bridge getting ready to jump.

She stopped her car, rolled down her window and said, 'Please don't jump...think of your Mother and Father".

He replied, "My mother and father are both dead, I'm gonna jump".

She said, "Well think of your wife and children."

He replied "I'm not married and don't have kids."

She said, "Well think of Robert E. Lee."

He replied "Who is Robert E. Lee?"

She replied, "Well just go ahead and jump then, you damn Yankee!"